AP: Soon Feds May Not Accept Missouri License as Valid ID- SOON

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri residents soon will not be able to use their state driver’s licenses as identification to get into most federal facilities, making it at least the fourth state to lose a federal exemption from complying with national proof-of-identity requirements.

A letter from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to Missouri, obtained on Wednesday by The Associated Press, informs the state that its exemption from federal Real ID requirements will come to an end Jan. 10.

That means Missouri driver’s licenses cannot be accepted as ID at military bases and most other federal facilities. It also could eventually mean that Missouri driver’s licenses won’t be accepted as identification for commercial airplane flights.

The 2005 Real ID act imposes tougher requirements for proof of legal U.S. residency in order for state driver’s licenses to be valid for federal purposes. The law was passed in response to national security concerns after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.